Played on rudimentary instruments including Coke cans, bicycle spokes, and a half-destroyed old guitar played like a bass, the Malawi Mouse Boys' music is enticingly rustic and primitive, but it's the purity of their voices and their rich harmonies that are most compelling. Their group's debut album, 2012's He Is #1, was the first record in the Chichewa language to be released outside of Malawi. At the 2013 WOMAD Festival in England, they made their first international appearance, as well as their first ever performance on an actual stage. By the release of their 2014 follow-up, Dirt Is Good, they had toured both Europe and the U.S.. Forever Is 4 U, their third album, was released in the spring of 2016. ~ Timothy Monger